Anxiety Counselling · Portslade

Anxiety Counselling in Portslade

Anxiety Counselling for Portslade and the surrounding area, in person or online. Portslade, just west of Hove, blends the historic Old Village with Portslade-by-Sea and the harbour. From my room in nearby Hove I offer a calm, confidential space to do this work.

In person in HoveOnline tooFree 15-min consultation
BACP registered member25+ years of experienceLived experience
Bradley Riddell, BACP-registered counsellor near Portslade at his Hove room, introducing his approach to anxiety counselling
ConfidentialA safe, private space
Person-centredThe therapy fits you

In and around Portslade

Anxiety Counselling for Portslade, at a glance

Known for
Portslade Old Village, the harbour and Victoria Recreation Ground
Area
Brighton & Hove, East/West Sussex
Getting to the Hove room
Portslade is a short hop east along New Church Road or the coast road, around ten minutes by car or bus, or two stops on the train to Hove.
Local NHS / support route
the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service
Format
In person at my private Hove room, or by secure video UK-wide.

Life in Portslade

Why people in Portslade get in touch

Portslade is really two places joined at the hip. Up the hill there is Portslade Old Village and Mile Oak, all flint and quiet lanes; down at the bottom is Portslade-by-Sea, with Shoreham Harbour still working away at the end of the road. Between them run Boundary Road and Station Road, busy at shift-change and half asleep at three in the afternoon. Anxiety here often attaches itself to work: hours that shift about, contracts with no promise in them, a wage that has to stretch. It also attaches itself to sleep, because a body kept alert for early starts does not switch off obediently just because the alarm has been turned off for the weekend.

Portslade Old VillageVictoria Recreation GroundEasthill ParkShoreham Harbour

Areas covered

Neighbourhoods in and around Portslade

Portslade Old VillagePortslade-by-SeaMile OakSouthern CrossBoundary RoadStation RoadAldringtonVictoria Recreation Ground area

Wherever you are in Portslade, the work is the same, a calm, confidential space shaped around you.

The local picture

The local picture in Portslade

Official figures for Portslade, for context rather than as a description of you.

Reviewed June 2026.

What is anxiety counselling, in practice?

Anxiety counselling here is practical and solution-focused: we work on the worry, panic, social anxiety and over-thinking that are actually affecting your day, and on simple ways to settle a nervous system stuck on high alert.

Rather than say the same thing on every page, the substance lives on the main anxiety counselling page, with how I work for the practical questions and qualifications, registration and ethics for registration and ethics.

How do sessions work, in person or online?

Sessions take place in a private, comfortable room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove, held to the strict BACP confidentiality you would expect. We begin with a free fifteen-minute call to check we are a good fit, and the same sessions are available by secure video if travelling is difficult or you would simply prefer it.

This is one of the shortest journeys anyone makes to see Bradley. Portslade is a short hop east along the coast road, around ten minutes by car or bus, or two stops on the train to Hove. That makes a face-to-face hour genuinely practical even around a shift. Where the rota will not allow it, the same work happens online by secure video, including early or late slots. Most people mix the two without any fuss.

Book a free 15-minute call

What I help with

What sort of things do people bring?

Panic attacks

Support for racing thoughts, panic episodes and chest tightness.

Social anxiety

Help with confidence, self-consciousness and fear of judgement.

Chronic worry

Support for overthinking, catastrophising and decision paralysis.

People-pleasing

Working with the need for control and approval.

Sleep and tension

Calming a nervous system stuck on high alert.

Responding differently

Tools for when anxiety starts to take hold.

Anxiety Counselling in Portslade

Why people in Portslade come for anxiety counselling

Anxiety counselling is problem-solving work more than it is unburdening. The starting point is understanding why your system is behaving this way, because panic, constant worry and a churning stomach all stop feeling random once you can see the mechanism. From there it is skills: dropping the arousal on purpose, catching the thought loops that feed it, and testing out the situations you have started to duck. When work is insecure or the shifts keep changing, a decent chunk of the hour goes on sleep and on the specific worries you carry to and from Southern Cross each day. City-wide, 26.7% of adults reported a high anxiety score in 2022/23, against 23.8% for England as a whole. The Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service takes self-referrals for anxiety, no GP appointment required, and Mind in Brighton and Hove has information and peer groups if you would rather begin with something less formal.

A free, unhurried first step

Not sure if it is right for you? A free fifteen-minute call is a no-obligation way to talk it through.

Book a free 15-minute call

Finding support in Portslade

My counselling sits alongside the help available locally. In Portslade, you can refer yourself directly to the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service for free NHS talking therapy, with no GP referral needed.

Seeing me privately usually means you can start sooner and stay with the same counsellor throughout, working at greater depth and pace; the two can run side by side, and I am glad to work alongside any NHS or GP support you already have.

Other local and national support verified for this area includes:

If you need urgent help now

This is not a crisis service. If anyone is in immediate danger call 999. For urgent mental health support, call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option. The Samaritans are free, day or night, on 116 123, or text SHOUT to 85258.

Portslade questions

Anxiety Counselling in Portslade: common questions

Where do Portslade sessions take place, and can I meet online instead?

In a private room at Intergen House on Western Road in central Hove. Portslade is a short hop east along New Church Road or the coast road, around ten minutes by car or bus, or two stops on the train to Hove. Every service is also available by secure video across the UK, so you can meet from any private space in Portslade or blend the two.

Could I get to Hove and back around a shift?

For most people in Portslade, yes. It is roughly ten minutes by car or two stops by train, so an hour in Hove need not swallow half a day. If the rota changes at short notice, sessions can move to secure video that week rather than being cancelled.

How quickly can I be seen?

Normally within a week or two. It begins with a free 15-minute call, which is simply a chance to describe what is going on and ask whatever you want to ask. If you decide to go ahead, a regular weekly slot is agreed then and there.

What are the charges?

£80 buys a 60-minute session. Ninety minutes is £100 and two hours is £120, which some people use for a first appointment. That opening 15-minute consultation is free. There are no assessment fees, joining fees or cancellation traps hidden underneath.

Is the Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service worth trying too?

It often is. As the NHS Talking Therapies service for the city it takes self-referrals and costs nothing, and for straightforward worry or panic it helps a lot of people. Waits fluctuate, so referring yourself there while starting privately is a reasonable move.

My anxiety is mostly about money and hours. Would talking really help?

Counselling will not fix the rota or the bills. What it can do is stop the worry running all night, help you think clearly enough to make decisions, and separate genuine problem-solving from the endless rehearsing that keeps you awake. That distinction changes a lot on its own.

Is anxiety counselling near Portslade easy to reach?

Yes. My Hove room is only around ten minutes east along New Church Road, or a couple of stops on the train from Portslade Station. There is parking nearby. If getting across is awkward, online video sessions are just as effective and private.

How do I book anxiety counselling and reach Hove from Portslade?

Book a free fifteen-minute call, then a first session. Portslade sits just west of Hove, so the room is close: New Church Road buses reach central Hove in about ten minutes, or the train from Portslade Station is a couple of stops. Prefer to stay put? Online video works.

What do anxiety sessions cost, and should I try the NHS first from Portslade?

Private sessions are £80 for an hour, £100 for ninety minutes and £120 for two, after a free consultation. You can self-refer to free NHS Talking Therapies for Brighton & Hove without a GP, but waits are common, so private work on your anxiety can begin sooner.

For anxiety, in person or online from Portslade, and do you run evenings?

Both suit anxiety. Being close by, many Portslade clients pop over to the room, which can feel grounding, while others prefer secure video from home, especially with social anxiety. You can mix the two, and evening and weekend slots fit around work at the harbour or elsewhere.

Anxiety Counselling in Portslade, whenever you are ready

A free fifteen-minute call is the simplest place to start, no obligation, just a chance to see if we are the right fit.

Also available nearby: Hove, Southwick, Hangleton. See all areas I cover.

Related work in Portslade: depression counselling, trauma counselling and counselling and therapy.

If you would like to read more first, I have written about the miracle question and settling a spike of urgency.

Prefer to meet remotely? The same anxiety counselling is available online by secure video across the UK, or see online counselling by region.